Which oil after Auto-RX-Pathfinder

[spande]

I have a 2001 Nissan Pathfinder, purchased new. It has 58k miles, and I am approaching the end of the Auto RX rinse phase. The car does not burn any oil and runs very well. I really did the Auto-RX as a preventative measure. Now I want to know which oil to use.

As for the engine, it is the VQ 3.5 liter. It has been well maintained (at dealer b/c of warranty) with oil changes about every 3000-4000 miles. We live in New England, so winters do get cold.

The owners manual calls for 5-30 as the best choice for an all season weight, as does the dealer. But I have read this motor likes thicker oils.

I had originally decided to try the GC (even if it is gold). But now since the new Mobil 1 5-30 has a higher viscosity, closer to GC, is there a clear choice for this motor?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts, this site is great!

 

[Gary Allan]

What mileage are you intending to extend the OCI? You appear to do 15k a year in roDIAland (paht of nuWINGland) ..which should make longer drains possible. Your cold period is long ..but not all that severe.

 

[spande]

I am not necessarily looking to extend OCI's, although I would push out changing to around 6-7k using either oil, and that is a plus. The real reason I am interested in the GC or Mobil 1 was because they may offer better overall protection and run cleaner. Plus I like the idea of a slightly thicker oil.

Gary, sounds like you've been to "Roadisland" before. Although we do get some cold weather here, I agree, I would not call it severe.

 

[John in the ATL]

spande,

The GC should work better for the VQ since it likes heavier 30 weight. I have been happy with in my 2k Maxima and the oil analysis reports tend to show this versus Mobil 1. Unfortunately, I will not have an oil analysis until May or so.

If going with Mobil 1, choose the EP 5w-30 since it is approx. 10% thicker than regular M1.

 

[Blake Sobiloff]

Spande, the Mobil 1 5W-30 is a good oil, but your VQ will do better with GC or Mobil 1 0W-40. Check out the many UOAs on this forum for many good results with these proven oils.

I'm running GC in my VQ as soon as my Auto-RX cycle is done; I had been using M1 5W-30, but GC seems to deliver superior results in these engines.

 

[bighead]

GC..

 

[spande]

Thanks evryone, for the replies. I will drive quite a few miles next week and should be finished with the RX rinse. Will put in the GC. I may even run the GC in my snowthrower this year, it has been good to me, maybe it deserves the good stuff!

 

[MolaKule]

My experience is that the 3.5 and 4.0L Nissan engines prefer heavy 30 weights and 5W40s.


We own a 2003 PathFinder with a 5.5 L sump.

 

[jsharp]

It's nice that Nissan finally saw the light on oil capacity. The old ones with the less than 4 quart sumps sure beat the oil.